Home to nearly a third of India’s solar irrigation pumps, Chhattisgarh has been leading the ‘energy transformation’ in India’s irrigation. Chhattisgarh’s experience is important not only for its impressive numbers but also because of the state’s high tribal population and the tremendous potential solar pumps offer for uplifting tribal livelihoods. We spoke with Mr. Sanjeev Jain, Chief Engineer, Chhattisgarh Renewable Energy Development Agency (CREDA) to understand the key drivers behind this phenomenal success of the state’s ‘Saur Sujala Yojana’, its impact and future outlook.
This interview is part of the IWMI-GIZ collaborative project, ‘Solar Irrigation Expansion in India: Opportunities and challenges in co-management of Energy, Water, Agriculture and Climate’.